WINTER COMMON ROOM - WEEK 4

[dormheads]

common room.

Similar to the rest of the architecture, the common room in the Winter Dorm is almost more reminiscent of a tea room or parlor that you would find in a manor. A chandelier hangs above, everything in the room glistening in the light that is both welcoming and just a tinge cold. Seating is available for a number of people to gather, adjusting each week to seemingly accommodate a little bit over the number of people assigned to the dorm. A piano doesn't sit too far, and sometimes when the room isn't too full, it's almost like a beautiful classical melody will begin to play itself to make up for the empty space.

Or... is that a showtune...?

Who can say?

This week, something else has been provided!

specialty room.

However on the first floor, there's an oddity amidst the serene architecture. One of the rooms opens to a Gaming Lounge, complete with screens that stretch across the entirety of one wall length-wise. Incredible comfortable chairs and couches sit opposite the screen, comfortable enough to steal you away from the outside world for hours upon hours. A series of gaming systems are hooked up to the screens, and a small tower of handhelds sit on a bookcase nearby. Every game you can think of is downloaded and programmed onto each device, though every time you start one up it seems to immediately pull up an otome game or farming simulator. The lighting system changes between a rainbow of colors, and one wall is lined with snacks that are a little less decadent but still just as delicious. The room will adjust based on the needs of the game you play, a wall spinning out to roll out DDR dance pads, virtual reality goggles, or whatever you could need for the ultimate gaming experience.

No, it isn't incredibly reminiscent of Dude Perfect's Game Time Lounge. You're imagining it. (But really, click the link for a better idea of what the room looks like.)

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Please use this as an open post for members of Winter Dorm. You may post top-levels whenever you'd like and go wild. A new post will go up at the start of each week.

Comments

THAT'S AMORE.....

[dormheads]

[ Garlands of flowers are now hung around the Dorm - Lunar Tears, Cherry Blossoms, and Asters in particular.

Outside, in the evenings, there will be blankets laid out, warm and cozy. The ladder leading to the top of Winter's Roof will also be back, and they'll find more blankets up there too! There's also a telescope! Oh wow. Seems like the suggestion is to get your stargazing and moon viewing on now that it's not freezing out.

A little placard on the piano reads:
It seems like I might be here to stay.
Let's make the most of it, shall we?
And do say hello to our new residents. Make them feel at home.

Yours,
Iris ♥

There's also a jello bar. Aka there's trays of jello shots (clearly marked as alcoholic and not), and other cute jello recipes. Now she's just showing off.

And despite the decor outside, there isn't a hint of Valentine's decor anywhere to be found. There is, however, a tower of homemade chocolates. They are delicious. Apparently that's as close as Iris is getting. Guess she's not feeling shippushy. ]

m-m-m-monday!!!

[refate]

[ BUM BUM BUM BUM, says the piano, although not like - deafeningly, as usual. hi guys! kon here! please assume that there is just a quiet, constant energy under his emotions and also a low key exhaustion that he's neatly putting under everything else if you're close enough to him for long enough. ]

So, uh. Low key stuff, first? [ ... ] Mazel tov to Adora and Catra, I guess? We would've thrown a party if we knew in advance.

[ he's obviously amused, even if he's. also bemused. meme wedding... ]

Anyways, welcome to Caleb and Frumpkin - pardon our efficient mess. [ us, we are the mess. ] And last, but definitely not least, if you didn't see the note that was left for us - looks like Iris is sticking around for more than just yesterday, so thank fuck for that. Let's keep going with the energy we had then.

If anybody has any updates they want to share, Monday forum is now open. We had some talk about coordinating with the other dorms, but I don't know how much of that actually happened on a personal level - so I'm gonna put this out there. [ he lifts up his notebook from on top of the piano, giving it a little wave, before he moves to deposit it on one of the tables. ] Whatever information we want to compile into a pamphlet, or just notes to share with other people, I think we should consider it seriously and get it dispersed. I've talked to some other dorms, and they don't convene or spread information around their dormmates the same way we do.

[ can't relate. ]

If there's anything I'm missing or something that's off, and we need to get it updated, let's get that taken care of.

[ notebook, tada! i will update it when i am not on the clock but have fun let's TALK ]

[katzepaw]

Guten Morgen. Thank you for having me, I know it is a little crowded.

[He is here now, and so is Frumpkin. Just radiating a lot of sadness and grief vibes, and also a lot of awkward vibes, but he's here.

Anyway, come pet Frumpkin.]

Uhm. Fall Dorm does share things like this with one another. Luxanna got the information for this week, the message about what they are doing in the daycare. But I will be happy to bring anything back to them that we learn here.

[supercatty]

[SHE LOOKS LIKE SHE WANTS TO MURDER HIM, TBH]

[deep breaths, Catra]

Annie and Hugo are back to normal, too. I talked with them today. I haven't yet talked to Luke-- Riku-- but I can't imagine it'd only be three out of four.

[refate]

[ looking at their just. collective. ]

We're all kind of used to it, this far in, so I personally don't mind. I don't think we have much of a concept of personal space, at this point, either, except for where we've figured out how to give each other privacy when we need it. [ especially with catra, dimitri, and kainé in the mix. ]

But I think Winter and Fall are the most similar, from what I've heard? It was more Spring and Summer that do it a little differently. [ :thinking: ] Rita told me that she's going to try and get coordinating on things, though.

[refate]

[ HE IS NOT EVEN A LITTLE GUILTY

you know what this dorm is like catra idk what you expected, but at least kon focuses on talking shop ]

So let's hope that Riku's out, too, and all four of them are for good staying.

[katzepaw]

Riku is back to himself, ja.

[steelo]

[ i'd like to put it out here that there are a couple of sticky notes of varying levels of artistic skill hanging out on various flat surfaces in the common room. is this important? not really.

anyway ichiro's emotions are generally low key at the moment, too - he's always got a sort of quiet determination around him at any time, but his warmth at catra and adora's whatever that was and also at caleb's welcome is very genuine. ]

I talked a little to the others. Got the word out to Spring, Summer and Fall so everybody should have their hands on the note from Sunday, at least. [ nod nod. ] I do think anything we put together about our "editor" or whoever, is gonna need to be public knowledge. We might have to be low key about it, but we all gotta work together on this big problem if we want it solved.

And then...it looks like we were right about the marquee being from the dead, too. That's where the bear is, too, it looks like? Uh, Beary Daycare. So. I guess that explains why we don't see him around now. According to what Iris said, the "keys" are especially for the dead - we've got our own fish to fry over here.

Which... [ here, his emotions flicker a little bit, here, serious resolve and a low, quiet anger. ] You guys saw the notes, too, right? In our lockers.

I think we can categorize our killings into two different ones, now. People who get fucked with like that - compelled, or possessed, or whatever the hell it is - and then what went down with Byleth and Rupert.

I need to check with more than one person on this - I'd like to ask her myself, too, cause Iris wants to make sure we check our sources twice no matter what - but I learned that Byleth didn't help Rupert with Lan Wangji. Apparently, she only helped with Bradley, and then did what happened to Crow. There were two sets of footprints at the SUB for Crow's kill, and the second set could have only belonged to someone from Fall Dorm - either Caleb-san [ a nod in his direction ] Lux-chan, Yamato, or Taichi.

So, I guess whoever else is involved in that might be from Spring, if there is anyone. It goes Winter, Summer, Fall. So... that makes sense.

[ eventually, he blows out a frustrated exhale and scrubs his face. emotionally, a little frustrated, but mostly tired. ] I dunno what to do with that information, but it's just stuff to keep in mind, especially with Kon's power. It doesn't really tell us how to make it stop, but it's there.

[katzepaw]

[He hunches a little, still radiating insanely awkward energy.]

. . . S- Annie says they are quiet in Summer. Spring worked hard, though. They try. They care about one another.

[steelo]

Oh, good. It was really weird after being in his head like that, having to come back and pretend like his name was Luke.... [ alpha rat nightmares ]

[katzepaw]

[He makes quite a face at that, hunching his shoulders a little, radiating worry and sadness.]

. . . Why only Fall?

[katzepaw]

Ja.

[He shrugs, frowning to himself.]

He is a good kid. Nice as Luke, but better as Riku.

[supercatty]

[SHE WILL COMMIT INTRA-DORM MURDER DON'T TEST HER]

Yeah. Hugo wasn't really sure how long it'd last; he said he wouldn't be surprised if they're rewritten again soon.

But for now, let's make the most of it.

[supercatty]

. . . good. Four out of four.

[supercatty]

[. . .]

[she looks away at this, a little guilty]

[supercatty]

[wait, what??]

How-- did you find out she didn't help Rupert with Lan Wangji?

[katzepaw]

[Looking back at her, not sure exactly what he said.]

[katzepaw]

. . . Byleth told me this, too. So I can confirm that's what she's saying; that they were someone else's footprints.

[katzepaw]

[Nodding.]

Four out of four.

[supercatty]

[ear flick]

I-- uh. . .

[. . .]

I check in on Summer a lot. They've definitely. . . taken things kind of hard.

[it makes her feel bad for leaving them :(]

[supercatty]

[FLATTENS HER EARS, LOOKING AWAY]

Then why did she claim they were hers during the trial?

[katzepaw]

Oh.

[Well, look at him. He's here.]

. . . Important to stay together with the people you are closest to in a place like this, though.

[supercatty]

[progress!!]

[katzepaw]

I think she claimed she was Rupert's partner, and this was true. But the footprints are still a mystery.

[superjock]

[just buries her face in her hands over here, looking deeply embarrassed.

it's fine, carry on with info share]